Crochet Baby Blanket – In the Jungle

This was a real last minute make, I just started a new job at work and the lady sitting opposite me was pregnant. When I asked when her maternity leave started she said in two weeks! My fingers have had to start working fast to make her something with love to welcome her new baby in to the world. She is having a little girl and her baby theme is the juggle. I had a look around to get some baby juggle themed inspriation, there are some real cute themes out there. Little angrim monkeys that are so sweet. Soft greens and accent oranges with leafy wallpaper patterns. Very pretty and soothing for a new baby room. So I get what she means by jungle theme but what am I going to make? I have bought a couple of crochet stitch books recently to help me design more of my own projects on consulting them and after making a few samples I decided on a simple granny square for the bulk of the blanket but I needed something special for the border.

There are lots of web sites and publication that I search when I need some inspiration, pinterest is a favourite place to find visual stimulation. For the border for this blanket I wanted something like a leaf or a jungle flower. I went to a favourite website My Picot. It has great stitch tutorials and patterns too and the bonus is they are all free, they just ask that you give the credit were its due when you use the patterns. You can find it by pressing here . The border is developed from one of the stitch patterns. There are lots more stitch patterns and other crochet patterns, you can sign up and have unlimited access and if you knit too then there are knitting patterns as well. A great website that I refer to regularly.

This is the final product and I’m really pleased to say was well received. At the time of publishing baby has yet to arrive and is now officially late. Hang in there Mum it will be worth the wait.

These are all available from Love Crochet you can search for them here.

4mm crochet hook

Yarn need for sewing in the ends

Scissors

Special Stitches

Picot

1pct = 1 dc, ch 3, in the next st, sl st in the 1st ch of the ch 3, sl st in the dc

Puff Stitch

1PS = Yo, insert the hook into the st, yo, pull through 2 loops, yo, insert the hook into the same st, yo, pull through 2 loops (3 loops on the hook), yo, insert the hook into the same st, yo, pull through all 4 loops. 1 puff stitch complete.

Pattern

Main blanket Granny Square

Start with a magic circle, or ch4 slst to join and start is the first ch on the hook.

Row 4: ch3, 2trc in the first ch1 space, ch 1*3trc,ch2,3trc in the next ch2 sp, ch1 3trc in the next ch1 sp, twice, ch 1, rep from * twice more, 3trc, ch2, 3trc in the ch 2 sp, ch1, 3tr into the last ch1 sp, ch1 sl st into the top of the ch3 to join. Turn.

Continue with the pattern until the square measures approximately 31 inches. Finish the row by changing to colour B in the joining stitch.

Border rows

Note: the corner can either be a trc, ch2, trc or it can be a pct stitch, the picture above shows the corner with a pct st. The picture below shows a corner with a trc,ch2, trc. The pattern is for a trc,ch2, trc corner. You may need to adjust at the corner by reduce the miss 2 sts.

Row 1: (Colour B) ch 1, *1 dc in the next 2 trc, 1 dc in the ch 1 space*, repeat to the first corner, *1dc,ch2, 1dc in the ch 2 sp, 1 dc, in the next 3 trc,to the next corner, repeat from *twice more, join with sl st in the starting ch 1. DO NOT TURN work the border from the right side.

Row 4: (Colour D) Join Colour D in the same space as the starting point for row 3. Ch 4, 1trc in the ch2 space, *ch1, 1trc in the ch2 space*,repeat * to * to the first corner.
Ch 5 at the corner instead of the ch 1 repeat * to *, repeat three more times, sl st to join in the 3rd ch of the starting ch4. Do not turn.

Row 5: ch3, 1 trc in the ch1 space, 1trc in the trc, 1 trc in the ch1 space, repeat * to * to the first corner. 2 trc, ch 2, 2trc in the ch 5 space, repeat * to * to the next corner, three more times. Sl st in the 3rd ch of the starting ch 3. Cast off.

Finish the blanket by weaving in the ends and hand wash and dry flat to shape it. The finished blanket without the border should measure 31 inches however you can make it as big as you want to. Any smaller and its probably a little too small. with the border it measures 34 inches.